Project Management

Objectives Students will learn about the importance of using Project Management in the school environment.

Project Management Project Management involves planning, monitoring, and coordinating all aspects of a project, and the motivation of all those involved, in order to achieve desired results.

Project Management in School Project Management skills are highly desirable in the workplace. School projects provide excellent opportunities for students to refine their planning and time management skills and to acquire executive thinking skills as they analyze and synthesize tasks using Project Management Tools.

Project Management Techniques Students are given several types of projects to manage throughout the academic school year. There are seven important Project Management Techniques used to manage team projects. Each technique will help students manage and produce quality team projects.

#1 Understand the Project Read all instructions before you start the project. Ask questions to clarify. Be sure that you understand the expectations of the final result. Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

#2 Research and Summarize Research – find your topic. Read! Summarize what you read. Restate in your own words. Always cite your source even if you summarize in your own words. Never cut/paste from the Internet.

#3 Cite the Source If you quote more than three words from a source, you must place those words in quotations. Cite the source. Otherwise it is plagiarism.

#4 Working on the Project Be original. Be creative. Spend time planning the project. Planning will save you from making mistakes and starting over. Periodically, show your teacher your project in order to get feedback.

#5 Group Work Split the tasks among the group. Be clear about expected results. Pull your own weight – do your part of the work. Offer to help others.

#6 Time Projects are not a race to see who can finish first. Use your time wisely. Know the deadlines. Finish on time.

#7 Time Management Use real-world skills and manage your time wisely. Employers expect great results in a timely manner.

#8 Summary Following the project guidelines helps you earn good grades; helps you learn real-world skills; and fosters confidence when you know you produced something worthy.

Project Management Planning Process Project Management involves planning, monitoring, and coordinating projects. There are several questions you will encounter with your project team. What do you and/or your team do first? What should come next? How many people do you need to accomplish your project? What resources do you need to accomplish your project? How long will it take? What can you get completed by the end of the six weeks? When will the project be finished? How will you know you are done with the project?

Project Management Organizational Tools Students use organizational tools to help them manage their projects. The most popular organizational tools used in schools and the workplace are: Task List and Schedule Gantt Charts

Task List and Schedule The Task List and Schedule - Project Management Organizational Tool is used to identify tasks that need to be completed before others can start. It allows the project team to determine the several factors in project planning Hours/Days Required Member(s) Assigned Planned Start Date Planned End Date Actual Start Date Actual End Date

Gantt Chart The Gantt Chart is also referred to as a project timeline. It consist of bar graphs that help plan and monitor project development or resource allocation on a horizontal time scale. They are used by supervisors and team leaders to schedule team members for various time-dependent tasks including visiting clients, making sales calls, being on medical call, being on guard duty, etc.

Gantt Chart Gantt Chart Example

Activity 1 - Project Management Team Project Part 1 - Analyzing Career Job Ads Students will work with a partner. Visit the school library. Use copies of the career job ads pages from newspapers in the school library. Underline references to any of the essential skills and circle specific references to Project Management in the ads. Identify a job website and refer to Project Management positions advertised on the Internet.

Activity 1 - Project Management Team Project Part 2 - Analyzing Career Job Ads Group Discussion What are some of the jobs/careers that specifically identified Project Management Skills as a required skill or an asset for employment? What are the salary ranges for these jobs? What additional skills are identified in these ads? From these examples, what do you think Project Managers do?

Activity 2 - Team Project – Task List and Schedule Teacher will assign students a project specific to class subject area. Each student team will use the Task List and Schedule handout to learn how to apply Project Management Techniques and the planning process.